I was just wondering something about you ridiculously strong motherf***ers. When faced with the following 2 choices, which did you always pick:

Choice A:

You're on a new training program, which is programmed for you to hit a new PR every 7 days in either one, two, or three of the big 3 lifts. You get to a day where you're supposed to hit a PR, and you do so with ease. You realize that the next week on the day where you are supposed to hit another PR, you know that you have it in you to take a much bigger jump then you had originally planned to (maybe you know you can hit a 550 deadlift, but you had only planned to hit 530), but to avoid potential injury and to keep your forward progress going for as long as possible, you decide to just take the smaller jump. The small jump is still a new PR, but it's not the PR that you know you were capable of. You are patient.

Choice B:

Same scenario as above, except when you get to your new PR day, you take a risk and shoot for an even higher PR then you had originally planned because you are feeling extra energized and strong as s*** that day. You hit the PR, and suprisingly, it wasn't that hard. You then decide that you even have more in you, so you shoot for an even higher number, and you hit that too!!! You're stoked now, because you just hit TWO PR's which you weren't expecting to be hitting for at least a few weeks or months even, so you decide to even push a little harder, and you shoot for a higher number, but you miss the lift. It doesn't matter though, because you hit a number that you didn't expect to be hitting for a long time. You know that there's always the potential for injury in doing things this way, but you just like smashing those f***ing weights.

Which mindset do you have? Be honest.

Honestly I have A. I'm conservative, and I want to make sure I slowly build up a strong foundation to prepare myself for heavier lifts. I'm thinking that most of the really strong dudes have mindset B though. Maybe I should stop being a p***y though.

Just wondering.

Reko

11-11-2008, 07:03 AM

I was just wondering something about you ridiculously strong motherf***ers. When faced with the following 2 choices, which did you always pick:

Choice A:

You're on a new training program, which is programmed for you to hit a new PR every 7 days in either one, two, or three of the big 3 lifts. You get to a day where you're supposed to hit a PR, and you do so with ease. You realize that the next week on the day where you are supposed to hit another PR, you know that you have it in you to take a much bigger jump then you had originally planned to (maybe you know you can hit a 550 deadlift, but you had only planned to hit 530), but to avoid potential injury and to keep your forward progress going for as long as possible, you decide to just take the smaller jump. The small jump is still a new PR, but it's not the PR that you know you were capable of. You are patient.

Choice B:

Same scenario as above, except when you get to your new PR day, you take a risk and shoot for an even higher PR then you had originally planned because you are feeling extra energized and strong as s*** that day. You hit the PR, and suprisingly, it wasn't that hard. You then decide that you even have more in you, so you shoot for an even higher number, and you hit that too!!! You're stoked now, because you just hit TWO PR's which you weren't expecting to be hitting for at least a few weeks or months even, so you decide to even push a little harder, and you shoot for a higher number, but you miss the lift. It doesn't matter though, because you hit a number that you didn't expect to be hitting for a long time. You know that there's always the potential for injury in doing things this way, but you just like smashing those f***ing weights.

Which mindset do you have? Be honest.

Honestly I have A. I'm conservative, and I want to make sure I slowly build up a strong foundation to prepare myself for heavier lifts. I'm thinking that most of the really strong dudes have mindset B though. Maybe I should stop being a p***y though.

Just wondering.

I don't know that I would consider my self really strong, but B is usually where I fall. I will also generally be worthless for the rest of the workout session if I hit a mega PR. But, it seems to be working so far. But I know some strong dudes go both routes, maybe you do B untill you get to a certain point where you just can't hit random 50 pound PRs so then you back down to A?

Barbaccio

11-11-2008, 07:24 AM

If you're not B, then you will fail miserably at this sport. This is an extreme sport. You get nowhere being cautious. On the days you're feeling great, you push as hard as possible. There will be days to hold back when you feel like **** or things just feel off. On the days you feel like a monster, you should perform like one.

I remember you asking about guys that train in Philly and I told you that you could come train with us. If you're not a B type, you're going to either become one, or get eaten alive and told not to come back.

brihead301

11-11-2008, 08:03 AM

Lol, I should hope so Barbaccio. The only thing that holds me back is being unsure about my form, and that's only because I train alone (which is the reason I was looking for people to train with in Philly), and no one at my gym really knows what the hell they are doing when it comes to form on the big 3, so I have to rely on my own reading and just going by how I feel.

I still have your number dude. I want to come check out a squat session on a Saturday, and see what it's all about if that's cool. I train hard 3 days a week, but I don't know what it would be like training with you guys. My training is probably a walk in the park compared to what you guys probably do, ya know? But I still wanna see what it's all about. I've never trained with serious powerlifters before.

RhodeHouse

11-11-2008, 01:02 PM

Hitting a PR every week would be awesome. PR's are few and far between when you get more advanced.

I lean away from Big Tone's view. I try to set numbers that are attainable and hit them. If I keep hitting my goals, over time, I'll set new PR's. I know exactly where Tone is coming from. That got me pretty damn far. Right now, I need to be a little more consevative. I find it helps me out physically and mentally.

We are all different. Experiment and find what helps you get PR's with. It may be a combination of both.

brihead301

11-12-2008, 06:58 AM

Ya, being a newbie to this stuff (even after 2 1/2 years) has it's benefits. Hitting a new PR is a weekly thing for me. Then again, my PR's aren't very high yet.

drew

11-12-2008, 07:16 AM

Lol, I should hope so Barbaccio. The only thing that holds me back is being unsure about my form, and that's only because I train alone (which is the reason I was looking for people to train with in Philly), and no one at my gym really knows what the hell they are doing when it comes to form on the big 3, so I have to rely on my own reading and just going by how I feel.

I still have your number dude. I want to come check out a squat session on a Saturday, and see what it's all about if that's cool. I train hard 3 days a week, but I don't know what it would be like training with you guys. My training is probably a walk in the park compared to what you guys probably do, ya know? But I still wanna see what it's all about. I've never trained with serious powerlifters before.

If you have the opportunity to train with a guy like Tone, don't let it go for too long. You need to get in there and train with his crew. I guarantee you'll learn more in a few hours with them than you ever would learn by reading anything.

brihead301

11-12-2008, 07:26 AM

I'm not one of those guys that tries to learn stuff about powerlifting by reading. I'm all about the actual doing. I just read a lot of articles and stuff while I'm at work during the day because it's interesting.

I will probably be giving him a call within the next few weeks to see if I can train with them for a day. I want to see what squat day is all about. I'm a little nervous honestly though, because I've never really trained with anyone before. I was always the quiet guy squatting in the corner just doing my own thing while everyone else was running around flexing thier muscles in the mirror and hitting on girls at the gym. I'm not really shy, but just kind of a loner sometimes.

Reko

11-12-2008, 08:21 AM

I'm not one of those guys that tries to learn stuff about powerlifting by reading. I'm all about the actual doing. I just read a lot of articles and stuff while I'm at work during the day because it's interesting.

I will probably be giving him a call within the next few weeks to see if I can train with them for a day. I want to see what squat day is all about. I'm a little nervous honestly though, because I've never really trained with anyone before. I was always the quiet guy squatting in the corner just doing my own thing while everyone else was running around flexing thier muscles in the mirror and hitting on girls at the gym. I'm not really shy, but just kind of a loner sometimes.

Better to learn now than later! Don't wait! If you have guys like that in the area you are wasting a precious resource!

drew

11-12-2008, 08:46 AM

Better to learn now than later! Don't wait! If you have guys like that in the area you are wasting a precious resource!